Westin battery tray + smart isolator as Genesis alternative?

[ShastaJT6]

Hey all,

Been dealing with some battery issues and will likely be replacing both shortly.

I had generically been planning to go to the Genesis dual battery kit when I reached this point, but in doing some research I found what I think may be a less expensive alternative and Id like to hear thoughts.

I feel like I could save ~$400 by replacing the main battery with the same size, deleting the aux battery, and wiring in this Westin kit to take the place of the OEM aux. Id then run a positive line from the Westin / new aux battery to a busbar underneath the hood. Aside from having longer cable runs, Im struggling to find a problem with this setup as a genesis alternative and would like folks to poke some holes in my plan if im missing anything.

Part of me wants to just say screw it and grab the genesis 3rd gen kit, it would probably be faster and cleaner and I wouldnt have all these long heavy duty cable runs, but Im not sure if the savings offset that. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

https://www.westinautomotive.com/auxiliary-battery-mount/2020/jeep/gladiator

https://www.amazon.com/LITTON-Batte...95&sprefix=smart+battery+isol,aps,181&sr=8-10

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[Alpine Warthog]

Besides your battery being down there exposed to water spray I don't see any big problems. Maybe a box of some kind? My RV has the house battery sitting down exposed like this as well. I absolutely hate it being exposed, splashed/sprayed like that under the frame. Begs for corrosion IMO

 

[Turnswrench]

Whoa, this battery mount piques my interest. Thanks for sharing!

 

[chorky]

Hey all,

Been dealing with some battery issues and will likely be replacing both shortly.

I had generically been planning to go to the Genesis dual battery kit when I reached this point, but in doing some research I found what I think may be a less expensive alternative and Id like to hear thoughts.

I feel like I could save ~$400 by replacing the main battery with the same size, deleting the aux battery, and wiring in this Westin kit to take the place of the OEM aux. Id then run a positive line from the Westin / new aux battery to a busbar underneath the hood. Aside from having longer cable runs, Im struggling to find a problem with this setup as a genesis alternative and would like folks to poke some holes in my plan if im missing anything.

Part of me wants to just say screw it and grab the genesis 3rd gen kit, it would probably be faster and cleaner and I wouldnt have all these long heavy duty cable runs, but Im not sure if the savings offset that. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

https://www.westinautomotive.com/auxiliary-battery-mount/2020/jeep/gladiator

https://www.amazon.com/LITTON-Battery-Isolator-Voltage-Sensitive/dp/B09B7BMM1K/ref=sr_1_10?crid=1FQZ7JVJGUO2U&keywords=smart+battery+isolator+12v&qid=1702659995&sprefix=smart+battery+isol,aps,181&sr=8-10

I'm gonna poke some holes...But take it with a grain of salt because everything is dependent on your specific use case. It would be helpful to know what your desire is as well as your estimated actual use. Often those are two different things.... And run an energy audit - very important to do this.

First. Don't get that combiner.. Man that just looks like a fire waiting to happen to me. I bet it's some Chinese thing (not that they make everything bad). The spelling and grammar is not good - to me thats a bad sign. But the spec is more concerning. It is stated to be a 140a unit. But in the description it states 120a continuous, 160a peak, with a 250a draw, with spike protection? What is it? This is TERRIBLE specification description. Since winches can easily pull 500 amps, man I would want to be certain.

For reference, here is the spec of the combiner used in the Genesis system.
300a continuous
400a 5 minute
2500a 10 second
Plus it is fully sealed from everything - minus a direct spray from a pressure washer. The one you linked to looks totally open on the bottom.

Also, under $40? Mmm... Maybe if it was more like 150 or 200 I would feel better about it. You would be better off just using a standard solenoid from RedArc - https://www.amazon.com/REDARC-SBI12...mzn1.fos.17d9e15d-4e43-4581-b373-0e5c1a776d5d. I do believe they have a 200a unit as well.

The Westin tray is kinda cool but I would be concerned of a couple things.

• where do you live?
• What kind of road spray or road hazards might it see?
• Do you ford water often?
• What about winter snow/ice/salt?
• Do you want to run skid plates in the future? Will it be compatible? Hitting a rock and busting open a battery is really not good
• How about potential issues with dealer waranty repairs?

I think that tray is a really cool idea! But, just sparking thought of questions to ask yourself. Also - what battery do you intend to use and will it honestly be enough power or will you end up putting a second aux battery somewhere in the bed/cab later on anyway? That is my situation....

The Genesis system does offer the ability to have the combiner they use run in auto, on (closed), off (open) from in the cab as well as under the hood. I have found this to be super helpful since you really do not want to have a hard winch pull from the aux battery unless you run 2/0 cable - which is super expensive, and super heavy. That being said, there are a number of ways to effectively get the same result from a cheaper solenoid/combiner using a series of manual rocker switches like 'overlanders' did 40 years ago. So you can effectively have the same functionality.

Final though - I spoke with Genesis the other day as I am modifying there kit to suit my needs, and they are coming out with a new system, that is the guts of the component only - no tray, keeps the factory tray/battery. It is basically just the workings of the system itself and will be on a metal tray on top of the fuse panel. I don't have any more details - and honestly not sure I'm supposed to even say this. It was supposed to be on their website as of last Friday but I dont see it and am not sure what the cost will be. Just a thought though.

I do think you can build a system much cheaper than theirs with a similar functionality. It will just require more work and research on your part and not be so plug-and-play. Just be honest with yourself on some of these questions first. I thought I was - then life changed, and I ended up spending money I didn't need to. But, life happens....

The biggest problem with the Genesis kit - and what I realized, is the two small batteries under the hood just is not great. The 'system' function is awesome (I think), but. having a large 94R battery under the hood is preferred I think, and having aux 'house' batteries elsewhere is nice. The standard 'aux' battery that is used in the Genesis kit really will only run a fridge for one night, if temperatures are not over 85. I think they realized this themselves and is why they developed the new version which is the 'guts' of the system only.

 

[Mr._Bill]

Hey all,

Been dealing with some battery issues and will likely be replacing both shortly.

I had generically been planning to go to the Genesis dual battery kit when I reached this point, but in doing some research I found what I think may be a less expensive alternative and Id like to hear thoughts.

I feel like I could save ~$400 by replacing the main battery with the same size, deleting the aux battery, and wiring in this Westin kit to take the place of the OEM aux. Id then run a positive line from the Westin / new aux battery to a busbar underneath the hood. Aside from having longer cable runs, Im struggling to find a problem with this setup as a genesis alternative and would like folks to poke some holes in my plan if im missing anything.

Part of me wants to just say screw it and grab the genesis 3rd gen kit, it would probably be faster and cleaner and I wouldnt have all these long heavy duty cable runs, but Im not sure if the savings offset that. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

https://www.westinautomotive.com/auxiliary-battery-mount/2020/jeep/gladiator

https://www.amazon.com/LITTON-Battery-Isolator-Voltage-Sensitive/dp/B09B7BMM1K/ref=sr_1_10?crid=1FQZ7JVJGUO2U&keywords=smart+battery+isolator+12v&qid=1702659995&sprefix=smart+battery+isol,aps,181&sr=8-10

Battery issues are common, especially if it is not driven enough to keep them charged. Three years is the typical replacement time. Replace the main battery with a 94R, and the Aux with a good quality Aux14. Mounting a third battery with a Smart Isolator gives you the basic equivalent of the Genesis kit. I did that about four years ago, and it has worked well for me. My third battery is a Deep Cycle Marine Battery from Sam's Club. I used Warn cable kits where needed.

Cole Hersee 48530 Smart Battery Isolator 200A https://a.co/d/f0Hce6l

ACDelco Battery Asm - 94RAGM https://a.co/d/4AepbIA

ACDelco Gold AUX14-200 36 Month Warranty Auxiliary AGM 200 CCA Battery https://a.co/d/0lX5K4S

 

[chorky]

Hey all,

Been dealing with some battery issues and will likely be replacing both shortly.

I had generically been planning to go to the Genesis dual battery kit when I reached this point, but in doing some research I found what I think may be a less expensive alternative and Id like to hear thoughts.

I feel like I could save ~$400 by replacing the main battery with the same size, deleting the aux battery, and wiring in this Westin kit to take the place of the OEM aux. Id then run a positive line from the Westin / new aux battery to a busbar underneath the hood. Aside from having longer cable runs, Im struggling to find a problem with this setup as a genesis alternative and would like folks to poke some holes in my plan if im missing anything.

Part of me wants to just say screw it and grab the genesis 3rd gen kit, it would probably be faster and cleaner and I wouldnt have all these long heavy duty cable runs, but Im not sure if the savings offset that. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

https://www.westinautomotive.com/auxiliary-battery-mount/2020/jeep/gladiator

https://www.amazon.com/LITTON-Battery-Isolator-Voltage-Sensitive/dp/B09B7BMM1K/ref=sr_1_10?crid=1FQZ7JVJGUO2U&keywords=smart+battery+isolator+12v&qid=1702659995&sprefix=smart+battery+isol,aps,181&sr=8-10

Also - thanks for making me spend another $400
https://www.westinautomotive.com/led-hood-scoops/2020/jeep/gladiator
?

 

[ShastaJT6]

Just want to take a second to say thanks to everyone for the responses!

@chorky especially, solid arguments here and points to consider.
also lol about the hood scoops, I tried to justify a hood swap JUST to get those but crossed that off my list XD

Time is of the essence, Ive been throwing the truck on the charger every night to get it going again in the morning. Between needing a fix soon, and not having the time to research / plan a custom build myself, and also wanting to have quality / safe / reliable components, I am planning to shell out for the Genesis kit BUT I am likely going to purchase the Westin tray I linked in the future and use it to mount a compressor tank, going to put that on the "Maybe Ill do something cool with this when I have extra time / cash" list.

 

[chorky]

I do like the idea of using the Westin tray in place of the tiny oem battery. It would allow for better battery equalization as well possibly since they would be of the same or similar capacity. Just know you will have to do some wiring.

 

[obrianmcc]

Unless you have accessories requiring the increase Amh capacity I would simply delete your AUX and upgrade your starter. I did this over a year ago with an Odyssey 48-720 and it's performed and held up just fine ... and that includes periods of decently heavy winching.

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